Light the Candles
by fowl68
Summary: We’re honoring our loved one’s memory. The houses are for entire families that died and the boats are for just one person. Naruto didn't need boats or floating houses. He had only three candles. SasuNaru


_**Light the Candles**_

**Disclaimer: **You guys should already know this, but I'm going to say it again- I don't own Naruto. The words in bold are from Harry Potter.

**Author's Note:** I can't believe it's the last day of 2008! It's been one weird year, but someone needs to find me a year that wasn't weird. Hope you guys all have an amazing and lucky New Year and try not to set anyone's house on fire with the fireworks.

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"_The most terrible things men do, they do in the name of love."-Dorothea __**(City of Bones)**_

-!-!-!-!

**He must've known I'd run out on you.**

The village was as quiet as he could remember at night. There was no bustling of crowds or cries of shop vendors trying to sell their wares. Now, the only thing in the streets was a cat whose brilliantly green eyes observed him for a half second before darting away into an alley.

How many years had it been? At least ten, but after a while, a person stopped keeping track. He hadn't been able to even think about what might have happened should he come back, couldn't think about the look on **his** face. But then, some weren't surprised. Jiraiya hadn't been, the last time he saw him before he died. Jiraiya had had a simple message for him before he went on his way: "He's waiting for you."

He still couldn't imagine that look in the blonde's eyes if he should come back, the hurt and pain. Maybe there wouldn't be, but there was a good chance that there would. But Sasuke had finally gotten a hold on himself. Uchihas don't run from anything and certainly not from a challenge, which is what looking into the sapphire eyes would be.

* * * *

Naruto couldn't remember when he started liking candles, liking the smell of them. He got some relaxant candles as a gift from Yamato, saying that they worked rather well, should he ever feel stressed. Naruto had lit them one night after a particularly hard mission and had let the almost nonexistent scent waft through the room. Yamato hadn't been lying, they did work.

But that couldn't have been when he started liking them, because he remembers being in Wave during the two years he traveled with Jiraiya and seeing candles being set on wood and paper houses and boats and letting them out to sea. He'd asked a villager why they did that and the woman had replied, "We're honoring our loved one's memory. The houses are for entire families that died and the boats are for just one person."

The ocean had been alight with soft, flickering flames that night and Naruto had sat down by the water's edge and simply watched them. There was a certain enchantment to them. When they got back to the village, the first thing he did after coming home to his apartment was go to a small candle shop near the Yamanaka's and had bought several candles. He still remembered what each of those candles smelled like—one of pine, one of October Night (or so the label read) and the last of Midnight Sky. Naruto had lit the three and set them on his windowsill, the small flames reminding him of Sasuke and he hoped that when Sasuke came home, for he undoubtedly would, he would see them.

He'd set them on his windowsill almost religiously ever since and it had been more than ten years now. The scents were new ones tonight; Christmas Wish, Bay Breeze and Fireside. He wasn't totally sure where the old woman who ran the candle shop got the titles, but the candles smelled good. Naruto put on an old radio he'd managed to find secondhand and had to smack it in the side a few times before it worked properly. The radio announcer introduced the next song as Light Up the Sky by Yellowcard and Naruto shrugged, nor wanting to comment on the odd band name.

* * * *

The streetlights weren't lit, Sasuke noticed, but that wasn't the odd part. Civilians rarely ventured out this late at night and shinobi had excellent night vision, so there was little need for streetlights. No, the odd part was that there was some semblance of light that didn't come from the night sky. Sasuke searched for it on ground level before glancing up and catching three small flames dancing seemingly in midair before Sasuke realized that the candle wax would be hidden by the angle.

It took Sasuke another minute to recognize the building and window. What was Naruto doing with candles? Either way, Sasuke had to talk to him.

**No. He must've known you'd always want to come back.**

A knock at the window roused Naruto. He hadn't been sleeping, but rather just kind of drowsing in that place between sleep and wakefulness. It was something that listening to his radio did, letting him relax without Yamato's candles. There weren't many that came to his window and even then, of the few who did, only a handful of them knocked. Naruto sat up, blinking rapidly at the sudden light. The candles weren't large, but after having your eyes closed for a few hours, they were rather bright.

But what made his eyes widen was the person silhouetted in the candlelight. Pale skin was given the lightest of golden tints by the flames and the dark spikes were highlighted in the gold and also with silver from the moonlight. Onyx eyes had flecks of amber.

"Sasuke?"

Apparently Sasuke had read his lips from across the glass and raised his eyebrows. Who else would it be? Naruto kicked off the light blanket he'd thrown over himself, not because he was cold but because he liked to be under the blanket, and scrambled to his feet. He blew out the candles before sliding the window open.

"What're you doing here?"  
Sasuke's face had returned to its paleness, no more soft fire flickering its light on his hair and skin. His features had sharpened in the long years, his cheekbones more prominent. His hair had lengthened too, about a few inches off his shoulders and he kept the ebony locks tucked behind his ears.

"I need to talk to you."

"Uh…okay." Naruto stepped back so Sasuke could carefully climb in, avoiding the candles.

Sasuke struggled with his words for a good five minutes. Naruto leaned on his kitchen counter, waiting patiently. He knew of Sasuke's difficulty with words and had learned that if he had something important to say, it would take him a few minutes.

"I…" Sasuke clenched his fists in frustration before seeming to come to a decision and quickly taking the few steps between them and pressed his lips to Naruto's.

Naruto didn't need to wonder what Sasuke was going to say. The kiss said it all. It was a mixture of _I'm sorry, I love you and Can you forgive me?_

Naruto pulled away gently and leaned his forehead on Sasuke's. "In order, my answers are—I know, Me too, and of course."


End file.
